Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-10-15

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

A huge number of students choose to study English independently on a self- study basis rather than attend a formal course. However, without the assistance of a teacher, students often find it difficult to manage their studies.

To what extent do you agree or disagree ?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your knowledge experience.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

In my opinion I think that learning english on self -study nowadays is more preferable because nowadays we have many facilities because we have internet ,youtube, chatbots, and many other websites that can help us to learn english from various resources that can help us in getting knowledge from every where.For example If we stuck in a course of a single english instructor we will learn from only one person and maybe that person not fulfill your needs and demands or that he may not be capable of of that much knowledge sharing but if we do self-study from internet resources we will have open source knowledge from various resources like youtube lectures and chatbots like chatgpt and gemini etc. We can learn more and if we donot understand the lecture of any one teacher or instructor we can watch any tutorial or lecture of any other instructor on youtube and now we have different types of websites like IELTS online tests and keen IELTS where we can also give tests to check whether we are improving our english or not but if we are stuck in a single course and a single instructor we cannot learn too much.

According to a real life example I was having many issues with english course and I was not having a proper instructor and then I tried to learn english on my own from different resources over the Internet and I was able to get good grades in my english course in University.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is clear: you prefer independent study because online resources offer variety and flexibility. The examples of using YouTube, chatbots and practice-test websites are relevant, and your personal experience gives the argument some support. However, the response only partly addresses the prompt’s central concern: whether students struggle to manage their studies without a teacher. You mainly explain the advantages of self-study, with little consideration of difficulties such as planning, maintaining motivation or correcting mistakes. The claim that a student in a course “cannot learn too much” is also too absolute and is not supported. To strengthen the response, address both the benefits and the management challenges, then explain why you agree or disagree to that extent.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable line of argument: online resources provide alternatives to a single instructor, followed by a personal example. This gives the reader a general sense of your position. However, most of the first paragraph is one very long sentence, so several points run together and the progression is difficult to follow. Connectors such as “because,” “and,” and “but” are repeated, while the shift to your personal example is not developed into a separate, clearly structured paragraph. Organise the essay into an introduction, focused body paragraphs and a conclusion. Use linking phrases selectively, and make each paragraph develop one main point with a clear explanation or example.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use vocabulary relevant to the topic, including “self-study,” “resources,” “instructor,” “tutorial” and “improving.” These terms help communicate your main ideas, and references to specific learning tools make the response concrete. However, the range is limited by repeated wording such as “learn,” “resources,” “different” and “instructor,” and some expressions are imprecise or unnatural, including “open source knowledge” and “getting knowledge.” There are also spelling and form errors, for example “english” and “donot.” Aim for more precise academic collocations and vary repeated terms; for instance, describe how learners “access a range of materials” or “monitor their progress.” Proofreading will also improve the accuracy and presentation of your vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt to express connected and complex ideas, particularly when comparing independent study with learning from one instructor. However, the response relies heavily on long sentences joined by “and,” “because” and “but,” and these structures are often faulty or difficult to follow. For example, “maybe that person not fulfill your needs” is missing an auxiliary, while “we will learn from only one person” shifts awkwardly from a general argument into a prediction. There are also errors in articles, agreement and punctuation, such as “a single english instructor” and the comma spacing in “internet ,youtube.” Use shorter, controlled sentences alongside complex ones, and check verb forms, articles and sentence boundaries carefully.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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